I've been at this game a fairly long time, but I recently missed an easy shot at a deer. Even though I have killed plenty of big game animals with my bow, the MAIN reason I miss is due to not picking a spot (shooting at the whole deer). Sometimes I do it....sometimes I don't. Do any of you guys have a sure fire way to make sure you do it EVERY time? I have gotten to the point of even considering a single sight pin on my bow..but I kind of feel like this might mess me up even more. I need a way to ensure I pick a spot EVERY time when shooting at a big game animal.
I'm in your boat, I'll be watching this.
Jon, if you ever get a real life working answer to this question, you will be a millionaire!!!!
Bisch
HA! Bisch I suppose you are right about that!
Self talk is all I have ever been able to think up for this problem. "Aim small" or "pick a spot" or "right there"
Remembering to do it, well that's another story.
I Always concentrate on the leg or elbow on a deer when its coming to me or passing by. It helps me to pick a spot when I'm ready to shoot.
Put a big, bright sticker on the belly of your bow "Pick A Spot".
Pick a folicle?
I'm.right there with you. Its easy to pick a spot on 3d or stumps. But 90% of my misses I can say are because of not picking a spot. And most of those are close range "slam dunk" shots.
I wish I had a sure fire tactic.
I think there are more guys out there who struggle with this
( myself included) than you think. Out of the 20 plus deer I've killed with a trad bow only a few have been hit right where I was looking, but yet on a 3d it's no problem. For me when I miss it's because of poor focusing, not just shooting at the chest but hitting the crease. I have written on my bow "Aim small-Hit small". And also I get excited still when I'm about to shoot and I've been bowhunting 30 years, if I lose the excitement I'll stay home.
Good thread!
I like to aim at a critter during a practice session. I may aim at a bird, squirrel, or whatever. I will just hold at full draw and pick the spot I would want my arrow to go. This is a sure fire way for me to get myself to hold, my wife would skin me if I shot one of her squirrels. (she rehabs squirrels). :)
I have trouble with it at longer ranges for sure. Up close its a matter of remembering. Its part of the shot sequence for me. I actually tell myself to do it and do my best to not even blink. My goal is to draw-anchor-release-follow through without ever having broken eye contact with the spot I am trying to hit. Easier said than done of course but when I am able to do it, my accuracy is remarkable.
I think, maybe, picking a spot BEFORE you start your draw, each time. Make it part of the lead in to the shot. There is a lot of excitement happening at that moment and it can overwhelm you.
I personally think we miss MOSTLY because we didn't pick and aim at a spot.
ChuckC
Gonna get some flack for this, but I don't always pick a spot. I pick an area. I set up on a vertical line, then pick the area I want to hit. I have found it nearly impossible for me to pick a spot on a solid brown deer(gray at dusk)or a black hog unless at point blank range. An example of this would be setting a verticle line at the shoulder crease on a deer and aiming 1/3 up the body. Not recommending this. Just what I usually do on big game.
I guess that probably doesn't help. You still have to remember to do it.
I am just the opposite, I really have to concentrate when I am just shooting but it just happens. I always shoot at squirrels in different angles and at different distances.
I discovered recently that I cannot focus at longer distances with my progressive lens glasses. The glass prescription is in the shape of an hour glass and when you look out of the side, the glasses are not helping me at distance.
Jon,
When possible I always try to concentrate on the crease coming up off the elbow, and low on the crease at that. I do the same thing at a 3-d shoot. It won't score well on a foam target but does a real good job of getting you focused on a live animal.
Of course that is not always the place to look depending on the angle and your choice of stand. I am almost always on the ground, so if I am patient it comes around eventually for me.
Deer usually tense up before the arrow gets there due to the noise, some guys call it ducking the string. Just a lot of muscles contracting in anticipation of getting the heck out of there. That is why I always look low. Worse case scenario the deer doesn't tense up and I may shoot right under it. If it does tense up it is usually a good solid lung hit with a happy tale to follow.
You are a seasoned bowhunter Jon you just need to find that "spot" again.
Good Hunting,
Craig
I want to put "Pick a hair!" On my bow. Only for Ohio whitetail. Everything else I shoot at ends up in the freezer..
This is my dilemma as well and I think it has got worse as I get a little older, eyesight(?), etc. (mid 50s now). Though I harvested a beast this year- I also missed a 155" and blew a shot on a doe. ALL shots turned into shots at the "shoulder." I call it "zone" shooting. It is SO frustrating.
I wish I could say I have mastered it- BUT I really do think Jay Kidwell's "Button Technique" in his "Instinctive Archery Insights," is a KEY answer. I have re-committed myself again to this type of mental and actual practice this next 6 mos. I may consider other options if I do not overcome it.
Dan in KS
Typically, I strive to have a spot picked out well before starting the shot execution and stay locked-in until the arrow meets the mark.
This is my objective, however I have failed at times. Re-adjustments required due to animal movement have usually served to enhance focus.
The error, in my experience, appears to me by not following my own pre shot and shot execution sequence...which is initiated by 1st picking a spot.
Note Turkeys don't seem to have spots, but feathers. I must enjoy missing them.
There are situations which dictate otherwise and of which I need to be prepared for.
I just started to pick a spot whenever I pull my bow back, not just when I have an arrow on the string. I think this will fill in a few gaps in my onboard programming, and will help make picking a spot an automatic first step in my shot sequence.
Many moons ago I wrote "pick a spot" on my bow.
Nothing big, just something I would notice when raising my bow to shoot.
That's my biggest battle...
This was a big dilemma the first time I ever shot traditional equipment at a deer. Now I try to focus on the front shoulder. Using the muscle definition to make a refference spot I can work off of. In fred Bear's Archers Bible he states picking the right second for the shot and concentrating on the spot are the biggest factors in making hunting shots count.
Big, big problem of mine too Jon. I wish I had the answer but don't. Sometimes I pick a spot and make a good shot and sometimes I don't.....very frustrating!! For me, I can shoot targets and stumps without issue, but when shooting at an animal is when it sometimes all falls apart. I don't know if there is a real answer to this. Maybe some of us are just doomed to have this issue on a more regular basis. I've also considered a single pin. Haven't done this yet. I think old Jack Howard used to shoot with a sight on his bow if I remember right.....wonder if he had the same issue??
Jon,
My only solution has been to draw while a deer is walking and line up so that it literally walks into my arrow path. For some reason I am then telling myself to wait on that front shoulder to clear so I'm on my spot rather than drawing up on a deer and the minute I get to full draw and the arrow gets somewhere on the deer my brain wants to release the arrow. In the later situation I'm a lot more likely to make a bad shot because my brain doesn't want to wait. I have no idea why that is as it seems silly but it has proven to work a lot better for me. Plus I'm better if I see a shot opportunity coming rather than being surprised by an encounter.
I think it has to do with the area in between my ears being quirky!
CK
I visualize the arrow passing thru the deer in the correct spot. That's how I do it.
I'm with you Jon! I do great on stationary animals but it's tough on deer passing through shooting lanes. I prefer to shoot them walking at close distances as grunting makes them alert and reactive. As they approach I try and stare just above the elbow/shoulder (whatever you refer to it as). Tough to do!
OK guys I know you are going to laugh when you hear this because the answer had always been right next to us all. I had the same problem and still do at times but what helped me most was simple. I harvested a doe a few years back and like most deer I harvest I butchered my own animal. After skinning this doe I really liked the look of the hide but didn't know what to do with it. I didn't want the through the hide out so a light came on in my head. I knew I had a hard time picking a spot because the color and uniformity is almost all the same. To me its like aiming at a big black hole. So I fleshed out the hide the best I could and draped the hide over my 3d target and shot the target with the hide over it. What a great use for my hides. It will make a big difference when you are face with you whitetail next year trust me. If you don't have your hide or need one, go a butcher that takes care of deer most of them will give you one or sell one for next to nothing. Give it a try it worked for me.
Bruce
Sorry guys for the miss spelled words and choppy setences I'm writing from my droid.
QuoteOriginally posted by ChuckC:
I think, maybe, picking a spot BEFORE you start your draw, each time. Make it part of the lead in to the shot. There is a lot of excitement happening at that moment and it can overwhelm you.
I personally think we miss MOSTLY because we didn't pick and aim at a spot.
ChuckC
X2
Trad-Archer,
That's a great solution. I practice shooting at a blank hay bale. I focus on picking a spot of grass. That's a similar concept.
I confess, I have never shot at a walking deer so I don't have any experience at that. Occasionally they are turning at the shot. I think the act of lining up a vertical makes me focus a little bit rather than just aiming for the animal.
Mike, eventually I will have Oklahoma whitetail worth shooting. Not any better than those big Ohio deer, though.
Some years ago, a good friend offered up some advice that addressed this problem, and is easily practiced.
When ever you have a quick second, pick something out and focus on it, at the grocery store, while walking down the isle, pick out a small spot on an item an focus on it until out of your vision. Doing this helps to create focus, and when done enough, it becomes like muscle memory...a habit so to speak.
Thanks,
I have noticed that at the end of the day as it is getting dark, picking a spot gets much harder. Maybe that is because my dawn/dusk vision is not as good as it was when I was younger. But, the distance at which I can clearly see a spot to pick gets shorter at dawn and dusk.
O.k. don't eat me alive now with this answer, I first draw on the white belly, just behind the elbow, then go up about 6" on a full grown deer, you can also see this in low light conditions.
This won't work if the deer are right under you and, does work better from the ground.
Shooting at the hide of a deer is a great way to practice picking a spot on a live deer. Think about it, its hard to see a deer when they are laying down in the brush. All natural camo the best of all, and its hard to pick a spot on their hide.
I have found a Hide will last a long time a full season or even longer if you cover it to protect it from moisture.
QuoteOriginally posted by smokin joe:
I have noticed that at the end of the day as it is getting dark, picking a spot gets much harder. Maybe that is because my dawn/dusk vision is not as good as it was when I was younger. But, the distance at which I can clearly see a spot to pick gets shorter at dawn and dusk.
Me, too. Last year, I had to pass on several opportunities for that very reason.
I think picking a spot needs to be part of the routine of shooting. Just like finding your anchor point, completing the draw, releasing the string, etc. It is definitely something that needs to become ingrained.
Part of my preseason practice has, for the last few years at least, is to practice hitting spots on a blank target. A hay bale is perfect for that, but the deer hide would serve the same purpose. That really shows me if my bow is hitting where I'm looking. Once I'm satisfied that it is, the rest of my practice sessions are solely roving, shooting one arrow at a time and mixing up the distances and stances, and, I might add, with one chosen bow and arrow combination. That usually gives me great confidence when hunting season rolls around.
You have to run a shot sequence every time you shoot an arrow. Draw anchor transfer, instead of aim small miss small. Tell yourself watch it to keep it. Your subconscience will center on the area you look at.
NOT picking a spot indicates a lack of concentration on that aspect of the shot. Lack of concentration usually isn't a problem at the target butt, but is an evil thing when hunting. It can show up in many forms, and n-p-a-s is just one of them. If it happens it usually indicates a focus directed more on the antlers, deer in general, excitement, etc. To an extent I believe you have to x out the excited hunter and become more of a focus on the shot person. That's actually easier to do if you're not pounding with adrenaline and desire. The more calm and rational, the better your focus will be. When it comes to live game, I spend hours and hours looking at every single animal I see and deciding where I would want the arrow to impact. I pick multiple spots and practice seeing them to the exclusion of the rest of the animal. My 2 dogs, every single deer, a running groundhog, all the critters on Animal Planet...I zero in on THE spot. When a non-target deer walks by, I pick an exact point of impact and stare a hole through the animal. All this practice makes it a lot easier to zone in on the critical vital hit I desire. I'm far from perfect, but better than I used to be by far.
Incidentally: For me, my problem is watching a deer's eyes. I judge so much by what that head and eyes tell me regarding the deer's alertness and such. I've never been a guy to focus on antlers at close range. I am many times watching a deer's eyes as it enters the shot zone; then I very quickly shift focus to the impact spot and 'zoom in' visually trying to exclude everything else. It works.
QuoteOriginally posted by Kevin Dill:
NOT picking a spot indicates a lack of concentration on that aspect of the shot. Lack of concentration usually isn't a problem at the target butt, but is an evil thing when hunting. It can show up in many forms, and n-p-a-s is just one of them. If it happens it usually indicates a focus directed more on the antlers, deer in general, excitement, etc. To an extent I believe you have to x out the excited hunter and become more of a focus on the shot person. That's actually easier to do if you're not pounding with adrenaline and desire. The more calm and rational, the better your focus will be. When it comes to live game, I spend hours and hours looking at every single animal I see and deciding where I would want the arrow to impact. I pick multiple spots and practice seeing them to the exclusion of the rest of the animal. My 2 dogs, every single deer, a running groundhog, all the critters on Animal Planet...I zero in on THE spot. When a non-target deer walks by, I pick an exact point of impact and stare a hole through the animal. All this practice makes it a lot easier to zone in on the critical vital hit I desire. I'm far from perfect, but better than I used to be by fa
Incidentally: For me, my problem is watching a deer's eyes. I judge so much by what that head and eyes tell me regarding the deer's alertness and such. I've never been a guy to focus on antlers at close range. I am many times watching a deer's eyes as it enters the shot zone; then I very quickly shift focus to the impact spot and 'zoom in' visually trying to exclude
everything else. It works.
VERYWELL SAID KEVIN...works for me!
Killing a lot of game frequently usually solves this problem. It did for me. Once I started small game hunting, my shooting wows at anything alive, became less frequent.
Agree with Kevin...pick a spot on every animal I see.
Kevin, I do the same, and have for years. Neighbors dog runs out. . bam, there is where I would aim. At Cabela's. . target rich, and a great place to practice being close to huge game (moose, griz) and picking spots. A skwerl runs in the yard, bam, pick a spot.
Maybe don't fake the rifle in your hands and yell "blamm!" in public like I did once (dang cat). The wife wasn't pleased.
The point is, make it a practice not just to see the critter, but to see "the spot".
When you have a pin front sight, you can almost make your own spot with the pin, but with just instinctive, it is easy to not do it and to shoot at the whole thing.
ChuckC
Lots of great suggestions guys. I really like the idea of a deer hide draped over a 3d target. Overbo, I think you are right about killing game keeps you better at killing game. During years I could hunt more, I killed a lot of deer and that made me pretty good at.....well killing deer. I think the small game hunting is a great idea. I used to do a lot of that but haven't done much in recent years. I've got a batch of squirrel arrows in the making right now. After deer season I will kill as many squirrels as I can.
QuoteOriginally posted by ChuckC:
....make it a practice not just to see the critter, but to see "the spot".
ChuckC
Chuck, I think you just nailed part of this whole issue down nicely. "See the spot" works well, and commands us to focus intently on the exact location. It actually is the next step beyond remembering to pick a spot. Well said!
Lot of good stuff here and the last thing I want to come off like is "I have this down" as I don't.
But one thing that I think is crucial and has not been mentioned (at least directly) is you MUST AIM - whatever your aiming method is or your weapon.
This is not just an issue with tradbows...you must aim at your intended mark. You will not hit something with a high-performance scoped rifle without picking the "spot" and then focusing all you energy on that spot until the shot is fired.
I think sometimes with all the hub-bud of gap vs. split vision vs. instinctual vs. sight methods that we forget they are all about aiming and trying to hit the spot.
TL:DR: IF you are not picking a spot, you are not aiming.
Jon,
My signature refers to how important I think it is to prevent the mind from wandering and taking the arrow with it.
I'm curious if you are usually off "high"? If so, did you ever shoot sights a lot with say a compound?
Let's assume you don't consistently shoot high and that you didn't use sights a lot.
So, then it comes to a matter of priorities in your shot decision. Others have given great ways to practice this (I love Cabelas show room for practice picking spots!). I like solid colors such as brown cardboard, black matts, straw bales, etc. I like to at least put an elbow or shoulder crease line with marker or tape on these "blank" targets. This trains me to use this area of the critter as a reference.
I think as much about the exit as I do the entry. I'm always thinking about where on this beast do I enter in order to exit well? This requires picking a spot.
Now, having written all that I'm not a 100% er! A warthog and impala in S. Africa and two deer her can attest to that in the past 4 years.
By the way, if a sight worked for you to solve this problem I wouldn't think twice about using them. I'd rather miss the mark with the opinions of fellow archers than with my quarry.
QuoteI think as much about the exit as I do the entry
One of the most important.
Bowwild no I don't have much experience with a sight at all. I only hunted with a compound for a couple of years a long time ago.
I usually shhotv at a dirt like that forces me to pick a spot. What I've done in the past was use a one inch flo orange dot. I stare at this while shooting at very close range. Then i try to project this spot on targets at further ranges. I guess it is a form of visualuzation.... instead of picking a spot i visual this spot where i want to hit. Helped me
Yep, I have been on a roll for years, and even killed three deer in one day last year. I really thought I was finally there. Heck, some friends were starting call me flattering nicknames.
This season the wheels fell off...
I have missed two easy doe shots completely and stuck the buck of a lifetime in IL in the shoulder blade. I have been sick to death at my lousy season.
I've come to a conclusion, I don't think we ever "have it". Its something that we always strive for and when we get it momentarily, you have to bask in it. When you lose it... it really depresses a guy. I guess its just like a ball player's slump. Its something you have to just work through.
Anyway, I have no solutions, I just feel your pain.
Jonsimoneau,
Since you aren't relating to a sighted experience you aren't using the point of the arrow (subconsciously) as a sight when the animal shows up. Some folks who used sights for years (yours truly) may shoot targets just fine simply "looking" at the spot they want to hit, gap shooting, or string walking (gap shooting).
But when the moment of intense truth occurs (shot on game) they mind's eye treats the arrow point like a sight pin and it is placed on the spot you want to hit. Of course, if shooting at less than your point on distance this results in a high hit or high miss.
I had the same problem! Then all of a sudden it just clicked and I'm afraid to analyze it too much for fear it will start again!!!
I think I try to imagine my arrow going where I want it...
Jon,
I was thinking of this thread as I shot a few arrows right at dark. One of my targets is a black hog that has a black rubber mat behind it.
The target mentioned really makes you pick a spot. If someone don't pick a spot it is quite evident as the arrow usually flies over the hog target to the mat backstop.
This type of setup may help in picking a spot. As I mentioned in an earlier post, simply holding the string back at full draw, while aiming at something will result in a better shot when it counts the most. Good luck!!!
More animals are missed because of not picking a spot than any other reason. My solution is that as soon as I see the animal, no matter how far away it is, I make it a point to look only at the spot I am going to shoot at. That might mean looking at that spot when the deer is as much as 40 or 50 yards away and keep looking at it until taking the shot. If we wait until the animal is close, adrenaline is flowing and we tend to forget the spot and shoot at the whole animal.
Like pdk25, I also just look at the area I want to hit. I don't think I have ever picked a spot on a deer. To be honest, I just kind of go into automatic and can't remember much about the shot sequence. Too excited I guess.
I think every miss I've had I can point to not being able to pick a spot. I remember I had practiced drawing a few times and I hit the stand with my bow. When time came, I was so focused on not hitting the stand again, I couldn't focus on a spot. So for me, I have been trying to learn each part of my shot so well, I can just focus on the spot. Like it was said in The Last Samurai, "mind the sword, mind the people watch, mind enemy - -too many mind. No mind."
I need to learn no mind.
lots of good stuff here for sure since I have had an issue missing game simply because I failed to pick a spot lying over the kill zone of the game I bowhunt. I once read that when Howard Hill focused and concentrated on the critter he was going to shoot that his dominate eye visibly bulged from his eye-socket. Don't know how true that really is however, it does make quite a statement about focusing and concentrating on the shot you about to take. At the same time, I believe that focusing on and "seeing the spot" on the game animal you wish to take is equally critical and that the instinctive traditional bowhunter needs to "see" that spot and concentrate on it the minute the animal comes into view while blocking out everything else out that is not critical to the shot. That's my two cents worth...next time I am out bowhunting, I'll try to practice what I preach.
Picking a spot only works when there is a spot to be picked.When a deer is at longer ranges the spots disappear and just turn into a large tan form and we tend to shoot at the middle of it. When they are closer, you can actually see a hair tuft or some other "spot" on a deer/elk/etc. The best shots I make are when I just pull up and shoot instinctively.
QuoteOriginally posted by KentuckyTJ:
Picking a spot only works when there is a spot to be picked.When a deer is at longer ranges the spots disappear and just turn into a large tan form and we tend to shoot at the middle of it. When they are closer, you can actually see a hair tuft or some other "spot" on a deer/elk/etc. The best shots I make are when I just pull up and shoot instinctively.
X2
You gotta be on autopilot.
What I have found that forces me to pick a spot is to change my draw sequence. Now I know, I know, we've all spent so much time on our technique that we dont want to change it, but believe me it works.
Previously my draw sequence was to focus on where I wanted to hit then in ONE continuous smooth motion draw to anchor and release.
My current system consist of drawing to the point where the back of my thumb/wrist contacts my face, just below my cheekbone. At this point I pause, aquire visual of target assuring I am focused on a spot, then complete the remaining 3-4" of the draw to anchor and release.
So it is a TWO step draw. Give it a try, it may seem a little odd initally but you will rarely end up shooting at the whole animal if you practice this method.
Good Shooting!
I am struggling with this very problem, and it has turned hunting into a night mare.
I have made some headway, I have been able to pick a wrinkle in the vital in the last few small deer that walked past my stand.
I did not shot these deer, but I am hoping I am over the hump.
QuoteOriginally posted by DaveT1963:
I usually shhotv at a dirt like that forces me to pick a spot. What I've done in the past was use a one inch flo orange dot. I stare at this while shooting at very close range. Then i try to project this spot on targets at further ranges. I guess it is a form of visualuzation.... instead of picking a spot i visual this spot where i want to hit. Helped me
Chuck Adams spoke of this in one of his books as the way he would pick a spot. It works if you can train yourself to do it. I had an orange dot sticker inside my bow limb which helps to remind you to place the image on the spot you want to hit.
TatherHill hit on something that happened too me. I was trying for a shot on a Warthog -- only 11-13 yards. A waterbuck kept getting in the way. The shot took several minutes to happen. I was thinking about the spot the first few times I tried to draw. Then the WB interferred. By the time I eventually took the shot I had forgotten to pick a spot.
I did the same thing 30 minutes later (multiple attempts to draw) on an Impala. Both shots went to the top of the back (WH) or over (Impala) back.
My lesson was to make sure picking a focal spot was part of every draw.
QuotePicking a spot only works when there is a spot to be picked.When a deer is at longer ranges the spots disappear and just turn into a large tan form and we tend to shoot at the middle of it. When they are closer, you can actually see a hair tuft or some other "spot" on a deer/elk/etc. The best shots I make are when I just pull up and shoot instinctively.
×3
Not picking a spot is a result of anxiousness and lack of concentration. Like any other sport, Archery/Bowhunting is a mental game. Backyard practice means Focus on the spot, block out all outside disturbance and never let any negative thoughts enter your brain.
This should carry over to the field and taking shots on big game. When I have an animal easing through and I determine I'm getting a shot my eyes lock in on the vitals and never leave. When I release I follow the arrow right to the animal.
Shooting/Practicing at small targets or pieces of foam 4-6" square is a good way to "bear" down and focus, especially at longer distances.
Very interesting topic and discussion. I'm always interested in the psychology aspects of making a good shot on game animals.
I personally think that (for some) not being able to zone in/pick a spot/see the spot is another form of target panic. I've seen guys who obviously went through a lot of anxiety, tension, and pressure to succeed at the moment of having to make a killing shot on a much-desired animal. They blow the shot and later admit they didn't pick a spot, or shot at the whole animal...even at very close range. To me it seems that the more badly you want something, the less likely you are to put it together at the moment of truth.
One of the best bow shots I ever met gave me some advice once:
"I work hard at keeping the emotion out of my bow shooting. If I miss or screw up an arrow, I don't get upset...I just analyze. I never ever allow myself to hope on an arrow, or worry where it might go. Once the arrow is gone I can't do anything about it. The more emotionless your shot sequence, the better you are likely to shoot. There is plenty of time to get excited later!"
It won't work for everyone, but this is sound advice. I use it constantly in practice, and I've noticed it on game. I shoot my best accuracy on animals when I'm dead calm internally and not considering the outcome of the shot, or how much I want that animal. It makes the task of focusing a lot easier.
Picking spot and concentrating on that spot until AFTER arrow release is vital for me to shoot good. I noticed after I started getting older it was harder and harder for me to pick a spot...due to eyesight which earlier was 20/10 in both eyes...so once I started having some issues it was much more relevant. On top of that I was deployed a signficant amount of time each year so each return during any hunting season was prefaced by massive shooting to GET BACK MY GROOVE. What ended up happening between the slowly failing eye sharpness I was accustomed.....the lack of consistent meaningful shot repetition...and the fear of missing or worse WOUNDING..is I developed Target Panic. It was a perpetuating cycle where my eyes wanted to focus on the arrow or something closer than my target and then I would think about release and the whole shot sequence would blow up.
Learning how to shoot with my military strapped glasses helped...a period of NO SHOOTING to let my mind and body go back to basics I learned decades ago....and realization I needed to start much closer to my prey/target and work back out.
Picking a spot is usually not an issue until it gets right before dusk or earlier if in ground blind using the net. At that point I quiver my arrow...unstring the bow...and just watch the animals filter around me from cover to field and back to cover. I have been lucky in being able to pick almost anything on the animal to turn it into a spot...hair, leg crease, leaf, grass, different color fur, etc.... Funny how closely my concentration is tied to eyesight sharpness and how being 20/30 or 20/35 is enough to ruin my world a few years ago. LOL
It is all about learning, adapting, focusing, and then delivering within your abilities. Hopefully it will never get bad enough where I need to carry a Sharpie to draw a SPOT to focus before I shoot my deer or hogs. LOL
If your subconscious is flawed it won't matter how hard you try. Shot execution is always more important than the result. By flawed I mean inability to hold at draw long enough for your subconscious to get everything lined up. A poor release, or other form abnormality. Think about it, a split second is not enough time for your subconscious to process the sight picture, and get you lined up.
Most put the cart in front the horse so to speak. If you can't execute a proper shot, it doesn't matter how hard you focus or concentrate, or aim. Make time to build a solid foundation, and re-align your subconscious with blank bale practice.
I know the discussion is centered around shooting live animals, but it should be viewed as just another well executed shot, regardless of the target. Slow down and breathe, help yourself take control from start to finish. I think people need to be in absolute control over their shot sequences.
Everyone here knows where the arrow needs to go, even if there is no obvious feature to stare at. It's like those black boar targets at 3D shoots that are placed in the shade on purpose. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean you don't know where its supposed to go.
Gap shoot. Gene Wensel wrote an article once entitled "There ain't no shame in aiming". As a long time "instinctive/pick a spot" guy, switching to three under and gapping has made me a better shooter.
Good luck,
Kyle
I've honestly never had this problem...until I'm hunting. Seriously, my biggest problem has never been picking a spot, it's been hitting full draw each shot. I watched an old interview with Fred Bear this year that made me feel much better when he was asked about his accuracy. He stated, "Well IF I can get my fingers to the corner of my mouth it's pretty much over."
When my son was shooting his longbow on the Penn State archery team he was having the "spot" problem and the coach told him to concentrate on another aspect of the shooting process and allow your instincts to take over on the target. He began concentrating on getting the same release each shot and his accuracy went through the roof!
That's basically what I did. Make sure my release was there and I began hitting full draw under pressure easier and easier. Just a thought!
Another thought provoking article was in Traditional Bowhunter's Oct/NOV '08 issue entitled, "Instintive Shooting...is it Really" by Andy Duffy.
Hope those help.
QuoteOriginally posted by tim roberts:
Some years ago, a good friend offered up some advice that addressed this problem, and is easily practiced.
When ever you have a quick second, pick something out and focus on it, at the grocery store, while walking down the isle, pick out a small spot on an item an focus on it until out of your vision. Doing this helps to create focus, and when done enough, it becomes like muscle memory...a habit so to speak.
Thanks,
Tim,
I've missed deer in the past, but I am having a particular off year this year. I've lost a buck and doe due to poor shot placement.
Most of my shots are from a tree stand, and when I miss I miss high. These high misses usually catch the tenderloin and I don't get a pass through.
When I was younger, I used to pick a spot on everything, everywhere, everyday.
Thank you for reminding of this advice. Hopefully I can regain my focus.
I learned to shoot everything; shotgun, rifle, pistol, compound, and stick bows with both eyes open. As I age, my eyesight gets less sharp and they don't seem to focus they way they used too. So, I've noticed when practicing that if I squint down a bit with my left,(non dominant eye), I hit the distant targets a lot better, more consistently. (Now if I can only train myself to do it on game!!!